Fountain-type wash basin

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a fountain type of wash basin capable of improving product efficiency by simplifying the appearance of the wash basin, saving water, and enabling washing and drying by installing a water discharge outlet in the interior of a wash basin body such that the direction of discharged water is upward. The fountain type of wash basin comprises: the wash basin body having a water reservoir; and the water discharge outlet which is installed on the side surface of the lower portion of the wash basin body so as to allow tap water to be discharged in the upward direction opposite to gravity, thereby increasing the stay time of tap water in the air.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of Application No. PCT/KR2020/018008filed on Dec. 10, 2020, which in turn claims the benefit of KoreanPatent Application No. 10-2019-0167909 filed Dec. 16, 2019, thedisclosures of which are incorporated by reference into the presentapplication.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a fountain type of wash basin, and morespecifically, to a fountain type of wash basin that is capable ofallowing a water discharge outlet to be disposed in the interior of awash basin body so that tap water is discharged from the water dischargeoutlet in an upward direction, thereby simplifying the outer appearancethereof, saving the amount of tap water consumed, and performing dryingas well as washing to thus improve product efficiencies.

BACKGROUND ART

A wash basin is a device for washing a user's hands, face, etc.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a general wash basin, and the general washbasin 10 includes a body 20 for storing tap water, a water dischargeoutlet 30 disposed on top of the body 20 to turn on/off tap waterdischarge, and a drain outlet 40 disposed on bottom of the body 20 todrain the tap water.

The wash basin 10 is configured to allow the water discharge outlet 20to protrude upwardly from the body 20 and to flow the tap water from topto bottom in the direction of gravity, so that a user washes his or herhands or face with the tap water flowing from top to bottom or with thewater stored in the interior of the body 20.

The conventional wash basin 10 is improved based on a method of washingthe user's hands, face, etc. with the tap water flowing naturally, andthrough the water discharge outlet 20 in which hot water and cold waterare mixed with each other, the tap water flows from top to bottom in thedirection of gravity.

However, the conventional wash basin 10 has the water discharge outlet20 protruding upwardly therefrom, thereby causing spatial limitations,and further, a washing area is small to increase an amount of waterused, thereby causing unnecessary use of water.

DISCLOSURE Technical Problem

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of theabove-mentioned problems occurring in the related art, and firstly, itis an object of the present invention to provide a fountain type of washbasin that is capable of allowing a water discharge outlet to bedisposed on the inner surface of a wash basin body thereof, therebysimplifying the outer appearance thereof and providing various designs.

Secondly, it is another object of the present invention to provide afountain type of wash basin that is capable of discharging tap waterupwardly to enhance a water use rate, thereby providing water saving.

Thirdly, it is yet another object of the present invention to provide afountain type of wash basin that is capable of directly applying washingand drying functions to a wash basin body thereof to enhanceconveniences and sanitary level in use.

Technical Solution

To accomplish the above-mentioned objects, according to the presentinvention, there is provided a fountain type of wash basin including: awash basin body having a water reservoir; and a water discharge outletdisposed on the side surface of the lower portion of the wash basin bodyso as to allow tap water to be discharged in the upward directionopposite to gravity so that the staying time of the tap water in the airis increased.

The water discharge outlet may be adjustable in angle in the range of10° to 80° in the upward direction.

The water discharge outlet may be located within 0.3 to 0.9 of theheight of the water reservoir from the lowest portion in the height ofthe water reservoir in the direction of gravity.

The fountain type of wash basin may further include a blowing holeformed on the upper portion of one side of the wash basin body to blowair so that after washing, a user's washed body is dried.

The fountain type of wash basin may further include a washing liquiddischarge outlet disposed on the side of the wash basin body todischarge a washing liquid.

The angle of the wash basin body on the opposite side to the waterdischarge outlet may be inclinedly formed close to the vertical so thatthe interior of the water reservoir becomes asymmetrically formed inshape.

The fountain type of wash basin may further include a water collectionhole formed on the opposite side to the water discharge outlet of thewash basin body to collect the tap water flowing from the waterdischarge outlet that does not come into contact with the user's body.

Advantageous Effects

According to the present invention, as described above, the fountaintype of wash basin is configured to allow the water discharge outlet tobe located on the side of the lower portion of the wash basin body,thereby simplifying the outer appearance thereof, and to allow the tapwater discharged from the water discharge outlet to be discharged in theupward and lateral direction, thereby increasing the staying time of thetap water in the air to enhance water use efficiency and water savingefficiency.

Further, the fountain type of wash basin according to the presentinvention is configured to change the discharge direction of the tapwater to thus provide a self-washing function, and to perform drying aswell as washing to maximize the efficiencies of a product and to keepthe wash basin sanitarily.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a general wash basin.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a fountain type of wash basinaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing the fountain type of wash basinaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the fountain type of wash basin accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the fountain type of wash basin accordingto the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an example of the fountain type ofwash basin according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR INVENTION

The present invention may be modified in various ways and may haveseveral exemplary embodiments. Specific exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention are illustrated in the drawings and described indetail in the detailed description. However, this does not limit theinvention within specific embodiments and it should be understood thatthe invention covers all the modifications, equivalents, andreplacements within the idea and technical scope of the invention.

In the description, the thicknesses of the lines or the sizes of thecomponents shown in the drawing may be magnified for the clarity andconvenience of the description. Further, the terms as will be discussedlater are defined in accordance with the functions of the presentinvention, but may be varied under the intention or regulation of a useror operator. Therefore, they should be defined on the basis of the wholescope of the present invention.

In the description, a term ‘and/or’ includes a combination of aplurality of relevant and described items or any one of a plurality ofrelated and described items. The term ‘coupled’ or ‘connected’, as usedherein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, andnot necessarily mechanically. To the contrarily, the term ‘directlycoupled’ or ‘directly connected’, as used herein, is defined asconnected without having any component disposed therebetween. Anexpression referencing a singular value additionally refers to acorresponding expression of the plural number, unless explicitly limitedotherwise by the context. In this application, terms, such as“comprise”, “include”, or ‘have“, are intended to designate thosecharacteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, or parts whichare described in the specification, or any combination of them thatexist, and it should be understood that they do not preclude thepossibility of the existence or possible addition of one or moreadditional characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, elements, orparts, or combinations thereof.

In the description, when it is said that one member such as a layer(film), an area, a patter, or a structure is located “on” or “under”another member such as a substrate, a layer (film), an area, a pad, orpattern, it means that one member may come into contact with anothermember as well as yet another member may exist between the two members.References in position for the respective layers will be explained withreference to the attached drawings.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be describedwith reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a fountain type of wash basinaccording to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a sectional view showingthe fountain type of wash basin according to the present invention, FIG.4 is a plan view showing the fountain type of wash basin according tothe present invention, FIG. 5 is a side view showing the fountain typeof wash basin according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is asectional view showing an example of the fountain type of wash basinaccording to the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, a fountain type of wash basin 100 according tothe present invention includes a wash basin body 110, a water dischargeoutlet 200, an air blowing hole 120, an air absorption hole 130, and awashing liquid discharge outlet 300.

The wash basin body 110 has a water reservoir 111 in which water isstored and a drain opening and closing cover 112 disposed on bottom ofthe water reservoir 111 to drain the water from the water reservoir 111.

Further, the wash basin body 110 has an overflow outlet 113 formed onthe upper surface of the inside thereof to prevent the water fromoverflowing to the outside from the water reservoir 111.

The water discharge outlet 200 is disposed on the side of the lowerportion of the wash basin body 110 to discharge water to the inside ofthe water reservoir 111.

Further, the water discharge outlet 200 is detachably mounted onto thewash basin body 110.

Moreover, the water discharge outlet 200 is located inclined upwardly topermit the tap water to be discharged in the upward direction oppositeto gravity.

That is, the water discharge outlet 200 is located in the upwarddirection from the bottom of the inside of the wash basin body 110 inthe opposite direction to gravity, thereby increasing the staying timein the air of the tap water discharged therefrom.

An angle θ of the water discharge outlet 200 is adjustably formedupwardly in the range of 10 to 80°.

Further, if the water discharge outlet 200 is located on the lowerportion of the side surface of the wash basin body 110 and the waterdischarging direction is an upward direction, the tap water isdischarged to a parabola line along which the tap water moves frombottom to top and then moves to bottom, and in specific, the tap waterin the gravity (vertical) direction has a speed of 0 at the highestposition thereof.

Existing wash basins are configured to allow a user to wash his or herhands at 3 to 12 cm below the water discharge outlet, and accordingly,the staying time of the tap water in the air is about 0.1 seconds.According to the present invention, contrarily, if the angle θ of thewater discharge outlet 200 is 60°, as shown in FIG. 2, the staying timeof the tap water in the air is increased to about 0.25 seconds.Accordingly, it can be appreciated that the staying time of the tapwater in the air is increased by about 2.5 times, thereby extending thetime capable of using the tap water.

Further, the staying time of the tap water in the air is a function ofthe upward angle of the water discharge outlet 200. That is, the greaterthe angle of the water discharge outlet 200 becomes, the longer thestaying time of the tap water in the air becomes.

If the angle θ of the water discharge outlet 200 is 80°, the stayingtime of the tap water in the air is more increased by about 2.7 timesthan that of the existing wash basins.

To achieve the above-mentioned object, therefore, there is a need toadjust the angle θ of the water discharge outlet 200, and according tothe present invention, the angle θ of the water discharge outlet 200 isset to the range of 10° to 80°.

If the angle θ of the water discharge outlet 200 is about 60°, thestaying time of the tap water in the air is increased so that a washingarea (hand washing area) becomes extended to save the amount of tapwater used.

Contrarily, if the angle θ of the water discharge outlet 200 is greaterthan 80°, the tap water undesirably collides against the water reservoir111 and thus scatters, and accordingly, the angle θ of the waterdischarge outlet 200 is desirably set within 80°.

Further, the angle θ of the water discharge outlet 200 is adjustable to10° to 80°, so that the entire surface of the water reservoir 111 can beeasily washed,

A ratio (Hn/H) of the distance Hn of the water discharge outlet 200 fromthe lowest portion in the height H of the wash basin body 110 is setwithin 0.3 to 0.9.

That is, if the water discharge outlet 200 is positioned higher than 0.3to 0.9, a water saving efficiency and a water using area becomeincreased, but the tap water dropped may scatter widely to thus causeinconveniences in use.

Further, a hot and cold water valve 210 is connected to the waterdischarge outlet 200 through a pipe P to supply hot and cold water tothe water discharge outlet 200.

The hot and cold water valve 210 is disposed on top or side of the washbasin body 110, and otherwise, it may be disposed on the outside of thewash basin body 110. If the hot and cold water valve 210 is a solenoidvalve, a sensor (not shown) may be disposed on top, side, or outside ofthe wash basin body 110.

The technical configuration of the hot and cold water valve 210 isalready well known, and accordingly, a detailed explanation of the hotand cold water valve 210 will be avoided.

The blowing hole 120 is formed on the upper portion of one side of thewash basin body 110 to blow air to the inside of the water reservoir111, so that the user's washed body part is dried.

Further, the blowing hole 120 serves as the overflow hole 113 to preventthe tap water from overflowing to the outside of the water reservoir111.

In addition, a blowing fan 121 is disposed on the underside of theblowing hole 120 to blow the air to the blowing hole 120.

As the blowing fan 121 operates, that is, the air blows to the inside ofthe water reservoir 111 through the blowing hole 120, and after theuser's body part is washed with the tap water discharged from the waterdischarge outlet 200, accordingly, his or her washed body part isconveniently dried with the blowing air.

The air absorbing hole 130 is formed on the upper portion of the otherside of the wash basin body 110, that is, on the opposite side to theblowing hole 120, to absorb the air blowing from the blowing hole 120.

Further, an absorbing fan 131 is provided to the air absorbing hole 130to absorb the blowing air.

The operating principles and states of the blowing fan 121 and theabsorbing fan 131 are already known well, and accordingly, detailedexplanations of the blowing fan 121 and the absorbing fan 131 will beavoided.

The washing liquid discharge outlet 300 is located on the side of thewash basin body 111 to discharge a washing liquid upon washing.

The washing liquid discharge outlet 300 may be located on any positionof the wash basin body 111, but desirably, it is disposed on theopposite side to the water discharge outlet 200.

The end of the washing liquid discharge outlet 300 passes through thewater reservoir 111 to discharge the washing liquid to the interior ofthe water reservoir 111, and further, the washing liquid dischargeoutlet 300 is detachable from the wash basin body 110.

Further, a washing liquid container 310 is connected to the washingliquid discharge outlet 300 to supply the washing liquid to the washingliquid discharge outlet 300.

As shown in FIG. 5, the wash basin body 110 is configured to allow theangle of the inner wall surface of the water reservoir 111 on theopposite side to the water discharge outlet 200 to be inclinedly formedso that the inner wall surface of the water reservoir 111 becomes closeto the vertical. Accordingly, the interior of the water reservoir 111becomes asymmetrically formed.

As the interior of the water reservoir 111 becomes asymmetricallyformed, that is, the tap water is sprayed upwardly and thus comes intocontact with the water reservoir 111, thereby being prevented fromscattering to the outside.

As shown in FIG. 6, a water collection hole 140 is provided on theopposite side to the water discharge outlet 200 of the wash basin body110 to collect the tap water flowing from the water discharge outlet 200that does not come into contact with the user's body.

Further, a hose h along which the tap water collectedly flows isconnected to the water collection hole 140, and a clean water tank 400is connected to the hose h to collect the clean water not used thereinso that the collected water is reused.

That is, the tap water flowing from the water discharge outlet 200 thatdoes not come into contact with the user's body does not flow as wastewater through the drain opening and closing cover 112, but falls to thewater collection hole 140 and is then collected to the clean water tank400 through the hose h, so that the clean water not used can be reusedfor various purposes, thereby reducing the amount of water unnecessarilyconsumed.

Further, the hose h is connected to a water reservoir of a toilet bowl,which is not shown, so that the water collected through the watercollection hole 140 is used for the toilet bowl.

Under the above-mentioned configuration, now, an operation state of thefountain type of wash basin according to the present invention will beexplained.

The water discharge outlet 200 for discharging the tap water is locatedon the side surface of the lower portion of the wash basin body 110, andin this case, the water discharge outlet 200 is not exposed to top ofthe wash basin body 110, thereby simplifying the outer appearance of thefountain type of wash basin 100.

Further, the water discharge outlet 200 is located upwardly in the rangeof an angle of 10 to 80°, and accordingly, the tap water is dischargedto the shape of a parabola, thereby increasing the washing area andextending the staying time of the tap water in the air.

Like this, as the staying time in the air of the tap water dischargedfrom the water discharge outlet 200 becomes long, it is convenient toperform the washing, and as the time capable of using the tap water isincreased, further, the washing time is reduced, so that the washing isfinished with a small amount of water, thereby enhancing the watersaving efficiency.

Further, the washing liquid discharge outlet 300 is located on one sideof the lower portion of the wash basin body 110 to discharge the washingliquid therefrom, so that upon washing, the washing liquid is used,together with the tap water, thereby maximizing the conveniences of theuser.

In addition, the blowing hole 120 is formed on the wash basin body 110so that as the blowing fan 121 operates, air is supplied to the insideof the water reservoir 111 through the blowing hole 120 to dry thewashed body parts of the user, thereby performing washing and dryingtogether.

Accordingly, the water discharge outlet 200 from which the tap water isdischarged is formed upwardly on the lower side of the wash basin body110, and the washing liquid discharge outlet 300 for discharging thewashing liquid and the blowing hole 120 for blowing air are provided, sothat the washing area is increased to improve the water savingefficiency and the drying is possible after the washing to maximize theuser's conveniences.

Further, the tap water flowing from the water discharge outlet 200 thatdoes not come into contact with the user's body is collected to theclean water tank 400 through the water collection hole 140, so that theclean water not used can be reused to minimize the amount of tap waterunnecessarily consumed.

While the present invention has been described with reference to theparticular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by theembodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciatedthat those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodimentswithout departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Itis therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not bythis detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.

EXPLANATIONS OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

100: Fountain type of wash basin 110: Wash basin body 111: Waterreservoir 112: Drain opening and closing cover 113: Overflow hole 120:Blowing hole 121: Blowing fan 130: Air absorbing hole 131: Absorbing fan140: Water collection hole 200: Water discharge outlet 210: Hot and coldwater valve 300: Washing liquid discharge outlet 310: Washing liquidcontainer 400: Clean water tank P: Pipe h: Hose

1. A fountain type of wash basin comprising: a wash basin body having awater reservoir; and a water discharge outlet disposed on the sidesurface of the lower portion of the wash basin body so as to allow tapwater to be discharged in the upward direction opposite to gravity sothat the staying time of the tap water in the air is increased.
 2. Thefountain type of wash basin according to claim 1, wherein the waterdischarge outlet is adjustable in angle in the range of 10° to 80° inthe upward direction.
 3. The fountain type of wash basin according toclaim 1, wherein the water discharge outlet is located within 0.3 to 0.9of the height of the water reservoir from the lowest portion in theheight of the water reservoir in the direction of gravity.
 4. Thefountain type of wash basin according to claim 1, further comprising ablowing hole formed on the upper portion of one side of the wash basinbody to blow air so that after washing, a user's washed body is dried.5. The fountain type of wash basin according to claim 1, furthercomprising a washing liquid discharge outlet disposed on the side of thewash basin body to discharge a washing liquid.
 6. The fountain type ofwash basin according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the wash basinbody on the opposite side to the water discharge outlet is inclinedlyformed close to the vertical so that the interior of the water reservoirbecomes asymmetrically formed in shape.
 7. The fountain type of washbasin according to claim 1, further comprising a water collection holeformed on the opposite side to the water discharge outlet of the washbasin body to collect the tap water flowing from the water dischargeoutlet that does not come into contact with the user's body.